One in Christ, united in mission is the theme that Pope Leo XIV has chosen for World Mission Day that celebrates its centenary on Sunday 18 October 2026. The theme recognises that mission is not the work of individuals alone, but of an entire Church moving together in faith. It speaks to a unity that goes beyond agreement or belonging; an active, lived commitment to bringing God's love i...

Catholic Mission is inviting schools across Australia to kick goals for good and compete to create the next official sockball following the launch of Socktober 2026. The national challenge coincides with the centenary of World Mission Sunday. As part of the competition, schools, students and youth groups are invited to design and build a new sockball using recycled materials. Image: Cath...

Catholic Mission has announced its new look Mission: one heart many voices national conference will return in 2027 from 3-5 May at the SMC Conference and Function Centre in Sydney. The announcement, made during NAIDOC Week, reflects the committee's commitment to reconciliation and to journeying together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The eighth Mission conference...

With 2026 marking the 100-year anniversary of World Mission Sunday, Pope Leo XIV has welcomed the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (Catholic Mission) to Rome for the General Assembly. Pope Leo XIV waves after meeting with participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Clementine Hall at the Vatican on 1 June 2026. During the meeting, Pope L...

Australia’s Catholic bishops have been told Myanmar is going through a “polycrisis” five years after the military coup. Speaking on the opening day of the biannual plenary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in Sydney on 8 May, Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, said his country was going through simultaneous economic, employment, social, health and education crises. Pr...

The World Mission Rosary returns in 2026, and Catholic Mission is inviting everyone to join the daily online Rosary prayer sessions during the month of May. Created in 1951 in the United States by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the World Mission Rosary is a unique tradition that serves as a powerful reminder that we all belong to a global Church, forming the foundations of community...

Catholic Mission is now represented across all four WA dioceses following the appointment of Sr Victoria Kithungu ASE as Diocesan Director for Broome. Sr Victoria joins fellow directors Francis Leong in the Perth Archdiocese, Rosemary Taylor in the Geraldton Diocese and Shendelle Mullane in the Bunbury Diocese. Hailing from Kenya, Sr Victoria is the first overseas religious sister to be ...

The Pontifical Mission Societies have appointed Peter Gates as national director of Catholic Mission, the Pope’s mission agency in Australia. Peter brings more than three decades of service to the role, most recently as deputy national director. He has been central to strengthening missionary formation, deepening parish and school engagement with the Church’s universal mission and guidin...

Over the Mother’s Day weekend, Catholic Mission hosted its second annual Mother’s Day Afternoon Concert at St Columba’s Church, South Perth. Titled Mother of Hope, the moving program featured sacred instrumental and choral works spanning five centuries, performed by violinist Paul Wright, soprano Em-ma Spadaccini, a string quartet, and a six-voice ensemble.

On Sunday 11 May, Catholic Mission will host Mother of Hope, a special sacred music concert for the Jubilee Year of Hope, to be held at St Columba’s Church, South Perth, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. Artwork: Supplied. This Mother’s Day, the Perth Catholic community is invited to celebrate the beauty and sacredness of motherhood through the universal language of music. On Sunday 11 May, Catholi...